


The Slayers

by summers-maclay-lehane (ofstormsandwolves)



Series: Sunnydale 2019 [9]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cheerleaders, F/F, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 03:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19432684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofstormsandwolves/pseuds/summers-maclay-lehane
Summary: Buffy didn't make the Sunnydale varsity cheer squad in her sophomore year. But she's determined she'll make it in her junior year...





	The Slayers

Buffy Summers was quietly confident. Today was the day of the cheerleading tryouts and she was almost certain she was going to secure her place this year. 

Last year, she had only made first alternate, and Cordelia Chase hadn’t stopped rubbing it in. To make matters worse, the one time Cordelia was out sick, Buffy had been struck down by the same bug a day before the big game. Not only had Amy Madison taken her place (and had freaked out halfway through the routine because apparently she had only gone in for cheerleading because her mom had forced her), but Buffy had had to be taken home by Giles. She’d been so sick that he had quite literally carried her from the school, and while Willow and Xander had been quite sweet about it, Buffy was fully aware that she had looked ridiculous.  


This year, however, she wasn’t going to be first alternate. She was going to make the squad, proper. And she was going to make sure Cordelia Chase realised what a threat she was.

* * *

Tryouts were at lunch, and Buffy beamed proudly as Willow, Xander, and Faith snuck in to watch her audition from the bleachers. She had nailed the routine, as had several others, although there were one or two who had stumbled or slipped.

“You were wicked good, babe,” Faith told her once the tryouts were over, pressing a kiss to Buffy’s cheek.

Buffy flushed. “I don’t know about that,” Buffy responded modestly, “but let’s just say I’m quietly confident.”

Willow and Xander were beaming proudly as the four of them headed out of the gym, but suddenly Cordelia Chase was in front of them, sneering down at Buffy.

“I wouldn’t be so confident if I were you, Buffy,” she told her coldly. “Everyone knows they’ll choose me over you any day.”

“And is there a reason you can’t both be on the team?” Xander asked with a raised eyebrow.

Beside him, Willow nodded seriously. “It doesn’t have to be you versus Buffy, Cordelia. Besides, you and Buffy worked well together on that history project you did. You make a good team.”

Willow knew she’d said the wrong thing even before she’d finished speaking. Buffy and Cordelia- and even Faith- were staring at her incredulously.

“This is the varsity cheer squad, Willow,” Cordelia bit out. “Not some silly school project.”

And with that, she swept out of the gym and down the corridor, leaving a confused Willow blinking after her.

* * *

“Well as long as you tried your best,” Giles said when Buffy told him about the cheer tryouts.

Buffy blinked at her step-father for a moment before responding with a deadpan “right”.

“You seriously don’t get all this high school stuff, do you, G?” Faith asked from where she lounged on her back in the middle of the library table.

Xander was sat on a chair, munching on some chips, while Willow got started on some homework they’d been given during second period. She did, of course, have to work around Faith’s body. Buffy perched on the counter while Giles was busy scanning returned library books.

“I admit, I don’t quite understand the appeal of cheerleading, but I’ll support Buffy in whatever she does, Faith,” Giles responded calmly. “Even if I don’t really understand her fascination in it.”

Faith pushed herself up onto her elbows, eyes glinting mischievously. “ _Whatever_ she does?”

Both Buffy and Giles stiffened, eyeing Faith warily. “Yes,” Giles responded slowly.

Faith smirked. “Including burning down a school gym?”

Buffy sighed as her girlfriend smirked. “And there’s the punchline,” she muttered.

Giles was busy opening and closing his mouth like a fish, clearly trying to come up with an appropriate response to Faith’s taunt. 

“I... Well, that’s, that’s different. I... That is to say, Joyce and I, we always supported Buffy, and the blame for that, ah, misdemeanour wasn’t exactly solely on Buffy’s shoulders-”

“G, relax,” Faith told him, smirk softening to a more genuine smile. “It was a joke.”

Buffy arched an eyebrow at her girlfriend. “But you’re never gonna let me forget that happened, are you?” she asked wryly.

Her words brought Faith’s smirk back out full force. “Course not, B. Here I thought I was the wild one, and then I find out you were kicked out of your old school for burning half the school down! I just wish there’d been photos. Would’ve made a wicked cool Instagram post.”

At that, Giles gave Faith a disapproving look. “Faith,” he warned, “please don’t burn the school down for the sake of a social media post.”

Rather than giving an answer, Faith just grinned mischievously.

* * *

The results of the cheer tryouts went up two days later, in the courtyard at lunchtime. Buffy tried to play it cool all through the first few lessons of the day, before jumping up the moment the bell rang for lunchtime. She was out the classroom and down the corridor before Willow had even finished packing her books away.

Thankfully, Buffy was one of the first people to make it to the notice board, and she frantically scanned the tryouts list for her name. Her heart was thudding in her chest, she felt a little sick with nerves, as she hurriedly glanced through the list.

Her heart thumped harder.

She read the list again. And again.

“Hey, babe,”

Buffy jumped as she heard Faith’s voice, looking round to see her girlfriend to her left, a worried frown on the brunette’s face. Unable to say anything, Buffy just blinked. Faith frowned deeper, then turned to look down the cheerleading list.

“Oh.”

Buffy sniffed, and said nothing. Faith responded to her lack of comment or reaction by lacing Buffy’s fingers through hers and hauling her through the crowd amassing around the notice board. Halfway across the courtyard they bumped into Xander and Willow.

“Buff!” Willow chirped, eyes wide and excited. “How did you get on?”

Buffy blinked at her friend, and Faith shook her head quickly, trying to convey to the other two that questions probably weren’t a good idea right now.

“Sorry, Buff,” Xander told his friend sympathetically.

Faith huffed. “We’re heading to the library. Either come with and keep your mouth shut, or go hang out somewhere else for a bit.”

Faith tugged Buffy along with her again, and Willow and Xander fell into step behind them.

* * *

When they reached the library, Giles took one look at Buffy’s pale, wide-eyed face and held his arms open for a hug. Almost immediately, she let go of Faith’s hand to practically barrel into her step-dad.

“I take it the, ah, the cheer tryouts didn’t go as well as hoped?” Giles asked Faith over Buffy’s head.

Faith shook her head, jamming her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. “Didn’t make the team. Obviously they had idiots picking the team this year.”

“Quite,” Giles responded as Buffy pulled away. “I might be biased, but I think they made rather a large mistake not putting you on the team.”

Buffy smiled up at Giles with watery eyes. “You have to say that, you’re my step-dad.”

“Hence my bias,” he smiled back.

“On the plus side,” Xander piped up, “you won’t have to spend hours at a time learning routines with Cordelia and Harmony.”

Willow nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. You don’t even like anyone in the squad. You wouldn’t have had anyone to hang out with.”

Buffy considered this. “That’s true,” she said, though she didn’t quite sound convinced.

Faith made her way across the library then, and she slung an arm around Buffy’s shoulder. “Forget about them, B. We’ll start our own squad. The Sunnydale Slayers.” Faith grinned.

“You don’t do cheerleading, Faith,” Buffy reminded her girlfriend with a roll of her eyes.

“No,” Faith conceded with a shrug, “but I’d be pretty good at throwing you in the air and catching you. Besides, it’s a good excuse to man-handle your butt in public.”

Buffy flushed red at that, while Willow and Xander became remarkably interested in the wall, and Giles coughed awkwardly behind Faith.

“Yes, well,” Giles said as he polished his glasses. “Perhaps the four of you should go grab some lunch from the cafeteria, before lessons start again.”

As the four of them left the library, Faith kept her arm slung around Buffy’s shoulders.

“I’m serious about the cheer squad, B.” Faith grinned down at her girlfriend. “Can’t promise me or Harris will be as good as you, but I’d be tempted to try just to see the look on Cor’s face.”

Behind them, Willow cleared her throat purposefully. “Not really sure I’m cheerleader material, Faith.”

Xander nodded furiously. “Yeah, I second that. For me, I mean. Not Will.”

Faith glanced pointedly over her shoulder at the two of them. “Says who? This is our squad, we decide who makes the team, yeah?” She flashed them a grin.

Buffy giggled a little. “I’m 99% sure you’re joking,” she told her girlfriend, “but there’s one percent of me that’s a little worried you’re gonna get us all wearing matching tracksuits and stuff.”

“Nah,” Faith dismissed easily. “No matching tracksuits.” Then she grinned wickedly. “I just wanna see you in one of those short, cute cheerleading skirts.”

As Buffy flushed red for the second time in five minutes, Xander and Willow groaned and Faith let out a laugh.


End file.
